Guest post by Esther Atkins.
I’ve always loved babies, for as long as I can remember. Maybe it’s because of that fact, and always looking forward to one day being a mother, that I assumed I would also enjoy being pregnant.
It’s true that there is a great deal about pregnancy, child birth, and becoming a new parent you don’t understand or can’t fully grasp until you’ve journeyed through it yourself. Having said that, I’ve learnt that there is also a great deal that is still taboo about the whole process and people simply just don’t talk about because you’re not “meant to”.
In hindsight, it’s safe to say that I entered my first pregnancy ... Continue Reading...

When I was 15 weeks pregnant I left my one year old at home and ventured out to a pregnancy yoga class. It was my third attempt in as many weeks to take my I-could-vomit-at-any-moment sick self to class. Until this point every moment of every day since we’d conceived had been about surviving (more on that here), so this yoga class was my first attempt to focus on the pregnancy in a positive way, connect with the baby in my womb and do something for my own health. And though I missed a few classes due to the sickness, most of the time it became my weekly retreat.I’ve done yoga when I’m not pregnant, but I particularly like doing it when I am ... Continue Reading...

To be pregnant is to carry creation inside you. To realise that your body is not completely yours. It is to surrender to the mystery. To surrender your own control. No one can control if and when they become pregnant, you have no say over whether you carry a boy or a girl, you do not know for sure that your baby will be healthy, you do not choose what type of pregnancy you have – whether you glow and breeze through it or whether you struggle through every pregnancy symptom in the book, you rarely choose your birth. And once the baby is conceived inside you there is nothing you do to grow him or her, as you sleep little arms and legs sprout, ... Continue Reading...

Last time I was pregnant I said to my husband (multiple times I believe), ‘don’t let me remember how sick I am, or I’ll never do this again’. In July this year I was alone at a restaurant on a Friday night, catching up on work, when all of a sudden I felt sick, I rushed to get the bill and just made it home in time to start vomiting. When I wasn’t feeling better two days later I took a test and sure enough, two pink lines appeared. Pregnant.
Unfortunately I am one of those people who suffers from completely debilitating and unrelenting sickness when I’m pregnant. When I tell people I’m expecting they normally act like I’ve won the lottery. ... Continue Reading...

My darling girl,
You’re 22 weeks now and growing everyday. I often feel you dancing inside me and that gives me so much joy. It’s like you’re just saying hello, reminding me you are there. You’ve kicked daddy a few times too and he loves it, his face lights up with love. You are extremely active and very healthy. We saw you on the scan and saw how beautifully and wonderfully made you are. You are still small, probably the size of an eggplant but already you are perfectly formed with facial features and 10 fingers and 10 toes.
We so much want to meet you, to see your cute little face and hold your soft skin. I always imagine you as our ... Continue Reading...

I always thought I wanted a surprise. There’s not many surprises in life and I thought this had to be one of the best. That was until I lost my first precious child without knowing if it was a girl or a boy. I was never able to grieve for a daughter, or a son; never able to picture him or her. I then decided that with the next one, I would find out the gender as soon as I could and give him or her a name.
Some people assume that we found out for the shopping, clothes or the gifts. But for me it was about bonding with and imagining her. After we found out I started to dream about her. And when she was born I discovered she looked exactly ... Continue Reading...

Hi, I’m Katie

I'm a mum of two kids under two and a freelance writer. I love deep conversations, coffees with close friends and hearing other people's stories.
Becoming a mother changed everything for me. I needed to take time to write, remember and reflect – it has helped me preserve memories and find the new me. But the story of motherhood is so much more than my experience and all of us have a story to tell. That’s why I've launched a new 'Share Your Story' section. Have a look if you’d like to be involved.
This blog is all about being a mum, and loving our kids and ourselves through the ups and downs. Grab a cappuccino, or your favourite tea, and join me in this virtual coffee shop.

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